Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and the sixth installment in the film series, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” was no exception. On the night of the screening, hundreds of teenagers and twenty-somethings milled around the theater hours before the show, carrying brooms and decked out in Quidditch robes. Eventually, the clock struck midnight, and the crowd erupted with exuberant cheers and cries of “Expecto Patronum!”

In case you need a refresher about what goes down in “Half-Blood Prince,” in the penultimate novel of the series, we find out that before the evil Lord Voldemort disappeared, he split his soul into six pieces, called Horcruxes. Now, since Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) is the Chosen One, he must destroy each Horcrux to destroy Lord Voldemort. To enjoy the Harry Potter films, even the most avid fans should try to recognize the movies separately from the books. It is easy to poke and prod at every change, criticizing writers, producers and directors for additions and alterations. But of course the movie is different than the book — J.K. Rowling’s novel is 652 pages long.

That being said, it seemed as if “Half-Blood Prince” struggled to find its angle as a novel-turned-film. One theme should pervade all others: The wizarding world is in grave danger, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a major target. But only at the film’s outset is it evident the wizarding world is under attack, as the Death Eaters wreak havoc across London.

After that opening scene, though, there is not much talk of the dangers faced by wizards. Instead, audiences are left to their own devices to figure out that something is wrong based on scenes filmed in muted, sepia tones, creepy camera angles straight out of “The Blair Witch Project” and the fact that most of the characters seem to have aged 10 years instead of one.

Each of the other Harry Potter films has a cohesive plotline within the film itself. There is a story accessible even to audiences unfamiliar with the inner workings of the wizarding world. This is not the case with “Half-Blood Prince,” however. If you have not read the books, you are out of luck. Therefore, it is increasingly difficult not to compare the film with the novel. It is almost as if the film’s creators did not want the general public to understand this stuff.

To comprehend Harry’s search for the Horcruxes, we need a lot of background information about Voldemort’s life. Therefore, much of “Half-Blood Prince” is comprised of memories and explanations. But since there is almost no mention of the gravity of Harry’s situation, audiences will be left with more questions than answers. And while the magical concepts are intriguing, the story moves slowly. There are fewer duels and battles, not as much action and less magic performed in general. It gets a bit tedious.

What it lacks in action, however, “Half-Blood Prince” tries to make up for with beautiful imagery. The exquisite landscapes surrounding Hogwarts and the waves crashing ominously on the secret cave which holds one of the Horcruxes begin to justify the film’s lack of magic. Quidditch, the wizarding sport that was noticeably absent in “Order of the Phoenix” after it is outlawed by the nefarious professor Umbridge, is back and better than ever. Overall, “Half-Blood Prince” is a beautifully crafted film.

“Half-Blood Prince” also signifies a lot of changes for Harry and his cohorts, and director David Yates (“Order of the Phoenix”) integrates these changes into the film well. The tortured, angst-filled Harry from “Order of the Phoenix” is replaced by a more grown-up — and more likeable — version.

Death, danger and destruction are also juxtaposed against the teenage hormones now running wild at Hogwarts. As they navigate through their sixth year, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint, “Order of the Phoenix”) and Hermione (Emma Watson, “Order of the Phoenix”) find themselves trapped in a few chemically-induced romantic mishaps courtesy of a new line of love potions from Fred and George Weasley’s joke shop. Although trouble is brewing, the students of Hogwarts still manage to remain jovial. Awkward crushes and tales of snogging gone wrong become the comic relief in this otherwise gloomy and prophetic film.

The film also introduces Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent, “Inkheart”) as the new potions master at Hogwarts, and as Potter veterans know, additions to the Hogwarts staff are almost always recipes for disaster.

Yet despite imagery and solid character development, fans will still miss the action. The disappointment in the theater after the film was palpable, expressed by some half-hearted applause and a few sleepy cheers. In the end, “Half-Blood Prince” just did not live up to its expectations or its predecessors. It was an enjoyable, well-made film, but by Potter standards, “Half-Blood Prince” fell flat. However, regardless of their reaction to “Half-Blood Prince,” audiences will surely flock to theaters at midnight for the first installment of “Deathly Hallows” in 2010.

3 stars out of 5.

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